TORRINGTON – A planned water line replacement will curtail northbound traffic on a portion of East D Street between U.S. Hwy. 26 and 18th Avenue for about a month, beginning next week.

Mark Weis, project engineer for the city, said a bid has been awarded to Paul Reed Construction of Gering, Neb., for the $157,221 project. Scheduled to start Monday, the company will replace some 650-linear-feet of existing four-inch iron pipe dating probably from the 1950s with new, eight-inch PVC water line on the east side of East D Street.

“The reason we’re increasing the size [of the pipe] is for fire flows,” Weis said. “We have a lot of four-inch pipe, and it doesn’t meet fire flow standards. We’re replacing it where we can, when we can.”

In addition to the larger water line, the project calls for removal and replacement of 606 linear feet of curb and gutter along the street and more than 2,300 square feet of sidewalk. An unintended benefit of the project, the project will be replacing several spots where the gutter and curbing has been damaged by age, as well as several damaged areas of sidewalk.

And for property owners along the route, that’s a benefit, Weis said. While the city is responsible for maintaining curbs and gutters, property owners are traditionally on the hook for sidewalk upgrades, unless the city is doing a project in the area which necessitates removal of the sidewalk.

The project means Paul Reed Construction will have to demolish portions of the northbound lane of East D. And that means northbound traffic will be shut down while the work proceeds, Weis said.

The Maverick convenience store entrance on the east side of D Street will be closed for the duration of the project, he said. Access to the car wash, on the west side of the street, should remain open or will be available via a nearby alley. Access to the Maverick store from Hwy. 26 will remain open.

“We shouldn’t have a problem keeping the southbound lane [of East D] open,” Weis said. “But there might be a couple of short closures.”

The project is scheduled for 50-calendar-days construction, he said. But he expects it could be completed, allowing for weather, in less time.

“I don’t anticipate it will take that long,” Weis said. “It should be a little over a month, depending on the weather.”